BMW’s Neue Klasse points to a radical reinvention for future sedans

Innovations making it to production include a full-screen heads-up display and e-ink.

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[Hydrargyrum]

How good are these all-glass cabins at providing the benefits of shade to passengers? Do they block infrared and UV effectively? I’m interested in first-hand experiences on this.

Tesla seems to have been a front runner on the trend and they’re headquartered in California and Texas, so I suppose if they were unbearable the idea would have been dropped by now… but it does seem an odd choice for a hot sunny climate.

Edit to add: I much prefer this concept’s take on the kidney grille compared to the pig snouts that have been afflicting recent BMWs.

Edit to further add: circles are the best shape for steering wheels on general purpose cars, designers. There is really no need to literally reinvent the wheel and make it square.

 

[mobby_6kl]

These look... fine as far as concepts go I suppose?

I wish they went all-in on the ideas they started with the i3 instead though. At over 10 years old those cars still look fresh and futuristic and the overall idea of the new construction and design methods seemed to be the way to go for lighter weight and more efficient future vehicles. Maybe they just couldn't make the carbon-fiber production economical enough but tbh it seems like they just bailed on making clean-sheet EV designs for a while in favor of sticking electric motors into the normal ICE platforms.

 

[pixelatedindex]

Any design that ditches their latest ridiculous front grill is a win for me. The styling of this is far better than the newer sedans like the 4 series. Overall, it’s a far improved design language but the glass roof is a concern if you live somewhere that’s really warm. Looking forward to what the production version evolves into.

 

[nzod]

These look... fine as far as concepts go I suppose?

I wish they went all-in on the ideas they started with the i3 instead though. At over 10 years old those cars still look fresh and futuristic and the overall idea of the new construction and design methods seemed to be the way to go for lighter weight and more efficient future vehicles. Maybe they just couldn't make the carbon-fiber production economical enough but tbh it seems like they just bailed on making clean-sheet EV designs for a while in favor of sticking electric motors into the normal ICE platforms.

Likely there were people in management who saw the future and acted, then got replaced by ones more content with the status quo. (I'm sure many here who follow this more closely know what happened.)

Where I live i3's can be seen frequently, and they stand out in a good way. Agree that it was, and still is, the way to go. Good to see they're again making moves.

 

[Taipan]

There’s really not much use getting worked up over a concept car, as they rarely have much to do with reality. But I wonder whether those gimmicks are necessary, just because we can. Unnecessary displays on the outside that need power (even if just a little in the case of e-ink), are the first things to break and then are expensive to repair. More ECUs that, again, break and are expensive, and complicate finding the causes of faults rather than make it easier.
Every car owner has been there.
The huge windows probably won’t even make it to the phase where crash tests even begin.
Keep it simple.

 

[zilexa0]

How good are these all-glass cabins at providing the benefits of shade to passengers? Do they block infrared and UV effectively? I’m interested in first-hand experiences on this.

Tesla seems to have been a front runner on the trend and they’re headquartered in California and Texas, so I suppose if they were unbearable the idea would have been dropped by now… but it does seem an odd choice for a hot sunny climate.

Edit to add: I much prefer this concept’s take on the kidney grille compared to the pig snouts that have been afflicting recent BMWs.

Edit to further add: circles are the best shape for steering wheels on general purpose cars, designers. There is really no need to literally reinvent the wheel and make it square.

In my Ford Fiesta with Panoramic roof it was waaaay too hot, even in winter with full sun on the car. Even with the synthetic covers closed. Like a heating pane above you. Never again a panoramic roof for me.
The glass looked black from the outside (looked at from a building) and transparent from the inside.

 

[Anton Longshot]

Besides that the example shown has too many doors and seats (hey that's just me) I kind of like where this seems to be going.
Curious to see where it'll end up.

 

[KingKrayola]

Was hoping that the e-ink would be in the dash for secondary info.

I like that they're still planning to make sedans.

 

[tetrapyloctomy]

I anxiously await a time when the stylistic choice is to integrate useful technology so it is unobtrusive and functional. Obviously this is a concept car and their whole point is to flaunt technology and wildly progressive design, but the general industry trend has been to load cars with screens displaying slow, poorly-designed UI that hides core functions behind series of menus.

I know I'm largely preaching to the Ars choir here, but I just wish that the American market would allow us to use modern engineering, high-strength materials and construction technique, and technology to make some small, light (relatively, I know that safety structure, batteries, motors, etc. have a floor to weight-savings), comfortable but not extravagant vehicles. Our crumbling infrastructure just cannot support a mean vehicle weight of three tons,.

 

[Prolapse]

Really not sure about the overall opinion, but BMW's last 6-7 years of cars have been nothing but hideous, and now their concepts are matching the trend. I have a neighbour who's been a loyal M3/M4 customer for decades and even he couldn't bring himself to like the new ones.

 

[redtomato]

Besides that the example shown has too many doors and seats (hey that's just me) I kind of like where this seems to be going.
Curious to see where it'll end up.

Fully with you there. We need cars with no doors and no seats; that will absolutely cut down on unnecessary car use. Win-win.

 

[Rhysterias]

In my Ford Fiesta with Panoramic roof it was waaaay too hot, even in winter with full sun on the car. Even with the synthetic covers closed. Like a heating pane above you. Never again a panoramic roof for me.
The glass looked black from the outside (looked at from a building) and transparent from the inside.

Roof glass like these can be very attractive and efficient IF you can change the glass shade. The last Renault allow that and it helps

 

[tmt]

Well, any BMW that doesn't have a grille taking up like 60% of vertical space of the front of the car is a win to me, so yeah, I can imagine it looking far worse.

 

[solomonrex]

These look... fine as far as concepts go I suppose?

I wish they went all-in on the ideas they started with the i3 instead though. At over 10 years old those cars still look fresh and futuristic and the overall idea of the new construction and design methods seemed to be the way to go for lighter weight and more efficient future vehicles. Maybe they just couldn't make the carbon-fiber production economical enough but tbh it seems like they just bailed on making clean-sheet EV designs for a while in favor of sticking electric motors into the normal ICE platforms.

They own Mini which has finally released a decent EV hatchback, but it’s nothing like the i3 and distressingly, since it’s built with Great Wall in China, it’s not coming here for a while, if ever.

Hopefully VW brings the i.3 here someday, they do have US production after all.

 

[torp]

Glass roof when every year is hotter than the previous.
HUD to "reduce the driver's reliance on touch screens". Because they don't have physical controls to reduce said driver's reliance on touch screens?
"new level of voice interactivity and control." So I can't adjust the a/c if i have a cold or the radio is playing? Or god forbid, if i drive with the windows open?

 

[rr6013]

Reputationally, speaking to BMW’s “Driver’s Car” this new class breaks away from driver-first. Personally, I read the concept as a good design brief for its future.
Those w i d e-entry door openings clearly open and embrace all.
Its interior, far from being a driver cockpit, is spacious, experiential and more connected visually.
Form factor-wise its a sedan, not futuristic neither functionally or financially competitive.
We are looking at what a bunch of car-germans stuck in past glory are dreaming.

 

[dweomer]

I for one can't wait until we have fully self-driving cars and I can just sit in a sterile egg shaped pod with maybe some aquamarine accents.

 

[MicroDude]

There is a saying that good design is cheap. But that rarely seems to play out with cars in the real world. How about more well-designed, inexpensive EVs? EVs for the rich won't solve the climate challenges. I know that isn't BWM's schtick but someone???

 

[deus01]

How good are these all-glass cabins at providing the benefits of shade to passengers? Do they block infrared and UV effectively? I’m interested in first-hand experiences on this.

Tesla seems to have been a front runner on the trend and they’re headquartered in California and Texas, so I suppose if they were unbearable the idea would have been dropped by now… but it does seem an odd choice for a hot sunny climate.

Edit to add: I much prefer this concept’s take on the kidney grille compared to the pig snouts that have been afflicting recent BMWs.

Edit to further add: circles are the best shape for steering wheels on general purpose cars, designers. There is really no need to literally reinvent the wheel and make it square.

Considering Tesla owners sometimes talk about how they still love the car after the steering wheel falls off it may not be good to assume that the all glass roof is a good choice.

 

[RTFMUsuallyHelps]

"new level of voice interactivity and control." So I can't adjust the a/c if i have a cold or the radio is playing? Or god forbid, if i drive with the windows open?

FWIW, my car can hear voice commands with my convertible top down doing 70mph+ on the freeway without issue. The trick is where they place the microphones in the car. Most modern voice control systems will lower the volume of the audio when activated and then raise it back to the previous level afterwards.

 

[peachpuff]

Really not sure about the overall opinion, but BMW's last 6-7 years of cars have been nothing but hideous, and now their concepts are matching the trend. I have a neighbour who's been a loyal M3/M4 customer for decades and even he couldn't bring himself to like the new ones.

He's missing out then.

 

[ColdWetDog]

I anxiously await a time when the stylistic choice is to integrate useful technology so it is unobtrusive and functional. Obviously this is a concept car and their whole point is to flaunt technology and wildly progressive design, but the general industry trend has been to load cars with screens displaying slow, poorly-designed UI that hides core functions behind series of menus.

I know I'm largely preaching to the Ars choir here, but I just wish that the American market would allow us to use modern engineering, high-strength materials and construction technique, and technology to make some small, light (relatively, I know that safety structure, batteries, motors, etc. have a floor to weight-savings), comfortable but not extravagant vehicles. Our crumbling infrastructure just cannot support a mean vehicle weight of three tons,.

Ok, I'm with you about concept cars in general and appropriate use of technology. I'd consider a Rivian if it was a bit more ... restrained ... with beeps and flashes (and a couple of other major issues).

But the weight issue is just silly. That garbage truck wandering about causes exponentially more road damage than even a Hummer EV. That triple trailer full of Amazon packages likewise.

Keeping weight down is important - a good use for modern technology - but it isn't going to do anything good or bad to roads unless your F150 morphs into something the size of an 18 wheeler. Which I wouldn't really put past Detroit. But hopefully that would be truck too far.

 

[BMWMECHANIC]

Neue Klasse, which simply means "new class" in German,

Thanks for explaining it. I was lost until the 3rd paragraph

 

[xcwanabe]

Model Y owner in Chicago here... Glass roof has been fine from a temperature perspective. Been to Florida a few times with the car and it was fine there too.
The car does have automatic cabin AC when parked, so nets never boiling inside when I get in, so it's unclear how different the glass roof is from metal in that respect.

In general I would much prefer a metal roof with sunroof to an all glass one. The glass roof doesn't do much for the front seat users (driver) since it's mostly behind you. Also you can't open it. Miss putting my hand out the roof of my GTi. Lastly I used to use roof racks on my GTi all the time but chose not to get them on the Tesla. One goof up with a tie down latch or hook and who knows how expensive it is to replace that roof. Bought a utility trailer to replace the racks. It works well but is one more thing to deal with.

Bmw concept looks cool. Nice to see something more human scaled again. I was a previous e30 owner, and I thought that was one of bmw's best cars.

 

[RobertAtArsTechnica]

Me? I'd rather hire a fully autonomous car for my daily needs. Just Waymo or Cruze that daily commute. Couldn't give a rat's behind for e-ink this or glass hothouse that.

I wouldn't mind a modernized Lotus Elise for the weekends and holidays though. Wouldn't mind at all. No sir'ree.

 

[wallinbl]

How good are these all-glass cabins at providing the benefits of shade to passengers? Do they block infrared and UV effectively? I’m interested in first-hand experiences on this.

Tesla seems to have been a front runner on the trend and they’re headquartered in California and Texas, so I suppose if they were unbearable the idea would have been dropped by now… but it does seem an odd choice for a hot sunny climate.

Edit to add: I much prefer this concept’s take on the kidney grille compared to the pig snouts that have been afflicting recent BMWs.

Edit to further add: circles are the best shape for steering wheels on general purpose cars, designers. There is really no need to literally reinvent the wheel and make it square.

I live in Florida and drove a Model 3 for several years. There were no heat issues due to the glass roof. I was fairly surprised by that, as it’s very sunny and hot here.

Teslas coating has something in it that causes water droplets to look red, so when the car got rained on, it looked like blood or Kool Aid was on the roof.

 

[Rayto]

How good are these all-glass cabins at providing the benefits of shade to passengers? … but it does seem an odd choice for a hot sunny climate.

Reporting from south Florida and having owned more than a few German cars with pano roofs, they are for those who enjoy listening to hvac fans screaming. The ideal is a metallic silver color with no sun/pano roof. There is a very noticeable difference. I have to order my cars to get one without pano.

 

[tetrapyloctomy]

Ok, I'm with you about concept cars in general and appropriate use of technology. I'd consider a Rivian if it was a bit more ... restrained ... with beeps and flashes (and a couple of other major issues).

But the weight issue is just silly. That garbage truck wandering about causes exponentially more road damage than even a Hummer EV. That triple trailer full of Amazon packages likewise.

Keeping weight down is important - a good use for modern technology - but it isn't going to do anything good or bad to roads unless your F150 morphs into something the size of an 18 wheeler. Which I wouldn't really put past Detroit. But hopefully that would be truck too far.

The weight issue isn't silly. Yes, the damage caused by large trucks far outweighs (no pun intended) passenger vehicles, because road damage is proportionate to the fourth power of the weight of the car. BEVs do cause a good bit more damage than ICE equivalents -- around twice and change IIRC. Meanwhile, local roads can have structures that are vulnerable to increasing mass; I can think of a few bridges nearby with 3-4 ton weight limits, and I have my doubts that a Philly driver with a new Hummer EV is going to skip Bells Mills Road due to its three ton weight limit, if they even know their vehicle's weight in the first place.

 

[Rayto]

This will require a monumental change at BMW. A return to the elegance, understatement and performance of an e39 will require a lot of heads rolling out the door. Reprogramming won’t be a viable option. Therefore, little to nothing will happen beyond marketing rubbish.

 

[QuarterSwede]

The panoramic HUD is interesting but a major problem with them is sunglasses polarization. On mine I have to set it to full brightness and even then I can still barely see it on sunny days because my polarization is 45° opposite (if I turn my head 45° it’s bright again).

The glass roof isn’t really an issue if you’ve ever had a pano roof with decent tinting (or can go opaque like Wonderlite). The sun is more of an annoyance at high noon than heat I’ve found.

The biggest issue I see with this clean concept is a lack of buttons. Are automakers that tone deaf to their customer’s asking for them? Give me physical temp controls and physical volume controls at least. You can make a vehicle that still looks great and have physical buttons. It just takes more thought and engineering.

 

[Feanaaro]

idk guys... the i4 concept looked great, then the car came out and it was ugly, heavy, less power and less range than promised, and more expensive than anticipated to boot. Let's wait and see...

 

[Feanaaro]

I live in Florida and drove a Model 3 for several years. There were no heat issues due to the glass roof. I was fairly surprised by that, as it’s very sunny and hot here.

Teslas coating has something in it that causes water droplets to look red, so when the car got rained on, it looked like blood or Kool Aid was on the roof.

I own a tesla model 3, and the heat on sunny days is definitely an issue. Not a dealbreaker, but enough that I got a cover to install inside for the summer. When the car sits for a while in the sun, the difference in internal temperature can be significant, and even while driving with the AC on you can feel the heat coming from the glass roof on hot sunny days.

 

[zeromind]

Eh, I like my i4 better than this concept car. We will have to see what actually comes to production. I liked the production i4 better than the concept version they had several years ago. But the big question will be how it drives. The i4 drives amazing, but I will be looking forward with where BMW goes with the new design.

 

[siliconaddict]

NOW I'm interested in BMW.

 

[snajk]

I like it. The previous concept looked even better, but they both look like they are going back towards the design language of the brand in the sixties in a modern way. When they looked the best IMO.

The panoramic roof would work for me, but it's a BMW so it most likely will not be standard anyway. I hope they keep the idrive jog and some physical buttons though. But they are one of very few brands that has kept building physical controls more than most, so chances are pretty good they will. The not-round steering wheel is not an issue, I've driven some and you forget about it after a few minutes. Unlike a yoke.

I think it'll be expensive though, likely out of my league. I might afford a VW Id2 though, which also looks nice as a concept. VW have a tendency to make the actual cars a lot more boring than the concepts though.

 

[qchronod]

Buttons and knobs for the win!! Give us a row of buttons and maybe a knob or two. They could even let us change what functions they do. I wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't figure out a way to have the icon change as well.

As for the screen polarization, they should be able to avoid that if they use OLED screens.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

This looks a ton better than the original concept and I see some Saab in it too. It's dramatically different from the current overwrought BMW design language though so I hope this makes it to production largely untouched.

 

[krhodes1]

The outside basically looks great. Ditch the wagon wheels and silly glass roof and I'd buy that.

The inside? Noooope. I will NOT buy a car with nothing but a giant display screen in the middle of the car. I don't want any screens at all in my cars, though I tolerate the small one in my 2014 Mercedes. My pair of 2011 BMWs without iDrive do everything I want to do to be entertained in a car with two knobs, a two-line monochrome display, and a row of buttons that are clearly labeled by that display. Simple, effective, and I can work it without looking at it most of the time. The instruments are clear, easy to read, and right in front of me. The last of no-nonsense German design, sadly.

And that steering wheel was bad on the Austin Allegro, and time has not improved it at all. At least it's not an idiotic yoke.

 

[grimlog]

That rear light design could get distracting with some simple mods.